System Readiness Level Index
The System Readiness Level (SRL) index is an index of maturity applied at the system-level concept with the objective of correlating this indexing to appropriate systems engineering management principals [1]. The SRL of a given system is a function of individual TRLs and the maturities of the links between them, which will be defined based on a scale of integration readiness levels (IRLs). The resulting function of this interaction is then correlated to a five level SRL index. This SRL index is defined by the current state of development of a system in relation to the DoD’s Phases of Development for the Life Cycle Management Framework [2].
Contents |
Background
Since the 1980’s the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has used technology readiness level (TRL) as a means to assess the maturity of a particular technology and a scale to compare technologies. In 1999, the Department of Defense (DoD) embraced a similar TRL concept in their programs. The TRL scale is a measure of maturity of an individual technology, with a view towards operational use in a system context. A more comprehensive set of concerns become relevant when this assessment is abstracted from an individual technology to a system context, which may involve interplay between multiple technologies. Hence, TRL is not an end state to determining a system’s readiness based on:
- TRL is only a measure of an individual technology and not systems readiness
- There is no method for integrating TRLs
- There is no proven, tested, systematic index of systems readiness
The System Readiness Level (SRL) incorporates the current TRL scale and introduce the concept of an integration readiness level (IRL) to dynamically calculate a SRL index.
